I
am very excited about publishing my delicious vegan cookbook. I was
all set to publish it before tomorrow, the Great American Meatout,
but instead, for certain, I will be publishing it before Earth Day, a
very important day that Honors the Earth and all the beautiful
beings, animal and human, who inhabit the planet. As a special way
to Honor and celebrate Earth Day, when you subscribe to my Organic
Wise Mama newsletter, I will add you to my mailing list. I will be
notified via e-mail when you subscribe and when my vegan cookbook is
published, those who subscribe between now and Earth Day will be the
first to be notified of the publication of the cookbook. I would
like to remind everybody that I'm still offering everybody a chance
to get a copy of my cookbook, valued at $18, by referring 5 or more
friends or family who make a verified purchase for a limited time. I
am also offering for those who may not have 5 or more a 20% discount,
but only to the first 100 who order. After that, it will be
available for the regular price. I also would like to mention that
10% of all sales will be donated to charity.
When
I began dating my husband 23 years ago, we had a big challenge
between us. Although he wasn't vegetarian yet, he had abstained from
eating red meat for years and I was very carnivorous. Initially, I
didn't think it would be a problem, but after a few dates, it became
an obvious problem. One night, we went out for dinner to a burger
coffee shop. He ordered a salad and fries. I ordered a greasy burger
with everything on it. Needless to say, he felt very uncomfortable
and very repulsed.
Although he didn't say anything at first,
I could tell from his body language and facial expressions that he
was anything but happy. Being the mainstream person I was, I was
unaware, so I didn't grab a clue. He was very gentle, but firm and
emotional in the way he expressed his disdain for my eating habits.
After several bites and somewhat enjoying my meal, somehow, I no
longer had an appetite for what I was eating. In fact, for the first
time in my life, I was repulsed by it. Growing up with a meat and
potatoes fast food and convenience food type mentality, I was
suddenly very confused and felt emotionally vulnerable. I didn't know
what to do.
For the first time in my life, I was with a
special loving friend who appeared to be more enlightened than I was.
He was exposed to information and lifestyles that I never knew about.
At the end of the meal, he explained the importance of a meatless
diet and explained that there were people all over the world who were
vegetarian for many reasons. I felt lost, confused and weird. I also
felt grateful for the knowledge he was giving me. Then he said
something that scared me, but made me think. He expressed that he'd
been off of red meat for years now and wanted to be with someone who
cared about their health and the animals. He felt very uncomfortable
with my carnivorous ways and made it very clear in a gentle firm way
that he didn't want to see me again if I continued this way of
eating. At first, I thought he was pretentious and audacious for
saying this. But then I took a step back, looked at the situation
objectively, and realized he was doing me a big favor and had a good
heart. Here was a wonderful person who was kind, intelligent, very
cute, who cared about me and was attracted to me. He wasn't telling
me to cut my hair, change my appearance, or change my personality.
He was simply asking me to give up the meat.
I tried it for a
week and wow, I felt great! I didn't feel ill, tired, or sick. In
fact, I felt wonderful and glad to be alive! That was it! That date
with him and that week of going meatless changed the course of my
life. My family was less than thrilled, but that didn't matter to
me. All that mattered was that I was going out with a sensible
intelligent person who loved and cared about me and wanted me to be
healthy; what a crime. After that, it wasn't terribly difficult to
go completely vegetarian and then, vegan. It's opened up my world
to a whole new way of eating and thinking and today I can't even
conceive of another way of living!
Unfortunately, this new
found decision somehow began to complicate my life, instead of making
it simpler. I had hoped for some support or a reaction of pleasant
surprise when I announced my decision to my Mother and grandmother.
Instead, they looked at me as though I had lost mind and expressed
their chagrin. First, my grandmother asked me if I was serious and
stated that young little girls like me needed their protein and would
become weak and frail if they didn't eat their meat. They both asked
me if it was because my new boyfriend had suggested it. Although I
told them he had influenced my decision, I assured them that I made
the decision on my own volition.
There were incidents at work
and even more incidents with my family. I'm sorry to say my journey
to this point of my life has not been easy, but I haven't allowed any
comments or criticisms to deter me. I've tried many times to help my
family understand, but I have given up on the idea and decided to
accept it and let it go. Today, I am healthier and more vibrant than
I've ever been. As of this moment, have not had to visit a
physician. Little did I know that a few years later, the next step I
would take would be to go vegan and today, my dear husband and I have
been vegan for 23 years. My hope is that more people will wake up
and realize the truth that the media doesn't want revealed. Until
then, turn off your television, listen to something uplifting and
meaningful and read!
